Always in pursuit of "off the beaten path" gems you can often find in places in small town Indiana, the Red Room Cakery fits that bill. Prairieton....small township, population maybe 1300...maybe, 12 minutes from the south side of Terre Haute.
Discovered on a Facebook post indicating a "pop-up from 10am-2pm" on the Sunday we showed up, the Red Room Cakery is actually wholesale and not normally open to the public. Lots of cake displays and brag books about, cakes are clearly this guys jam, in addition to the baked goods he sells thru restaurants in a 50 miles radius of his Prairieton ovens.
And by "this guy," I am referring to Chef J who is here this day with his side kick employee Olivia. And don't underestimate Olivia and her shy demeanor, as a current student of Purdue's hospitality program and an award winning cake baker from a 4-H event not so long ago, she knows her way around a baked good. I always say "behind every good man is a better woman" and that be Olivia in this case.
Chef J could not be more of a sweeter teddy bear type personality if he tried. Kind of a bit unexpected considering that this spot is not normally open to the public, which really means "I have enough business and I would rather not deal with the public." But on this day and in this moment of this pop-up that I show up with my aging folks from Terre Haute, we were treated with real midwestern hospitality...the kind that I have forgotten about living on the west coast and in giant urban cities around the planet.
I tend to drill down hard to get to the meat of a business or a person, so after grilling this overgrown teddy bear a bit, Chef J is explaining to me his military career (thank you for your service!) and how he got into cooking before he is inviting me around the back to see the action of the kitchen. The smell of hot sugar and yeast coming from an oven, painting a glaze of a gooey cinnamon concoction on top of the twists baked just so, the perfect amount of flaky crust and mildly doughy center to make this twist Mid-westernly delish. We are consuming one right on the spot before we depart. Some lava cakes for good measure, we walk out with some items to enjoy at home and happy to have made the acquaintance of Chef J and Olivia.
And those lava cakes.... Keep in the frig vs the counter and then pop in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds....incredible! Really delicious.
The actual establishment is again not normally open, so I am appreciating this unicorn moment. There is no hot coffee option, music chiming in or even many places to sit. Nothing about this spot says "hang out/linger." Rumor has it that Chef J tried pizza for awhile and it just did not catch on. What I clearly know and the greater Praireton area does not....bakers make the best pizzas because the dough is always exceptional. But anyway....
I consider the Red Room Cakery and our unique moment to visit and buy some baked goods moment a big win and really enjoyed taking the trip over from Terre Haute. Chef J is celebrating 10 years of being in business this summer. I am on the look out during all visits now moving forward when in Terre Haute to see if the baked goods served at an eatery come from the Red Room Cakery. Because there they are a little bit delicious and a little bit Midwestern, which makes the perfect baked good in my eyes. read more